God’s Authorities & God’s People – Romans 13:1-7
The outline:
1) God establishes authorities.
a) Every single one.
b) Authorities serve.
c) Authorities bring order.
2) God’s people submit to authority.
a) An expression of faith.
b) An act of obedience.
c) A practical witness.
Some notes:
Just because something is clear does not make it easy.
Particularly when we live in a world of fallen people.
Offering our lives as living sacrifices to God has outworkings for our relationships with Christians and non-Christians, for the church and for society.
This is wholistic.
How does someone who has become part of God’s kingdom live in the ‘kingdoms’ of the world?
Not, apparently, by tring to subvert the existing rulers and instituting another rule.
The Gospel and its spread are not threatening in themselves to governments.
The outline doesn’t follow a linear progression through the text.
Firstly, God establishes authorities. (cf. Westminster Confession, Chapter 3, para 1)
This is not proven, just stated, Paul has alread reference Pharoah in 9:17. Consider Daniel chapter 4 and Nebuchadnezzar’s place. John 19:11 recounts Jesus before Pilate confirming God’s authority.
This relates to recognised and instituted authority.
Every single authority holds their place by God’s will. Notice that no reflection here is made about character or competence.
Consider New Testament biblical authorities from Herod of Idumea down to tax collectors. The absence of personal morality or fairness was rife.
We are unaware of the situation in Rome, but there is no reason to believe that the situation is vastly different, or that Paul’s advice is contingent on local conditions.
The exhortation provided here echoes that of Jesus to ‘render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
The function of those ruling authorities is to bring order. (vs 3-4)
Not only do authorities serve at God’s command, they serve in order to promote good and righteous conduct. Again there is no specific reference to the standards promoted, but simply that the righteous could go about without fear, while wrongdoers would know that justice should hold them accountable.
This order is a very general concept. While democracy as we know it was not known to the bible writers, it is no surprise to God. But neither is monarchy, dictatorship or communism. It is only a descent into anarchy or an breakdown of consistency and order that it condemned here.
Secondly, God’s people submit to authority.
Our submission to authority is a recognition of God’s authority.
This is an extension of, and a relflection of, our appreciation of the fifth commandment.
This is not a blank cheque to those who would do wrong, but it means that our submission to authority is not contingent our affection, personal respect, or even the personal righteousness of the authority.
We have the opportunity to influence public policy and to change those who govern over us. We have the opportunity to move to places where righteousness is more prevalent in the standards of our rulers.
We do not have to do anything which God’s law forbids. Consider Daniel in Babylon, or even Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. David and Saul, as David waited for God’s time for Saul’s reign to end.
But there is no ground here to break laws set by authorities. The sword is shown to be in the state’s hand, not ours.
Breaking law is entering the very anarchy that government is set to oppose.
There is nothing here to suggest establishing a church governed state is warranted. The explanation of Romans chapters 1-11 demonstrate that no-one can be coerced or legislated into the kingdom.
Practically illustrated, we pay taxes. Not because we agree with everything upon which those taxes are spent, but because the authority has set them.
We need not pay more than we need to, but we cannot seek to pay less.
We render to ‘Caesar’ what is ‘Caesar’s’ and to God what is God’s.
Government cannot make people godly, it can make them fear ungodly behaviour.
We are law abiding citizens, because we offer our lives to God as living sacrifices.
Christians actually have a higher regard for human governments that others.
We also have a more acute understanding of the standard which government should aspire to.
But we should also be vigorous in the public arena in winning debates about life, decency and other ethical standards.
We should also be committed to evangelism, because that is where real change and reform in character will come from.
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